In Version 6.34 (06.02.2015) :

In Version 6.33 (29.01.2015) :

Shadings 3D: - definition/manual modifications of a terrain, - definition of zones for positioning "tables" (rectangular or polygonal) - distribution and common modifications of a set of tables in the zone .

In Version 6.17 (10.01.2014) :

Shading factor table according to strings not written on file (recomputed).

Report: first page not complete for Stand-alone systems.

Meteo monthly tables: line of yearly values erroneous.

In Version 6.16 (03.01.2014) :

Report: Parameters may be printed on more than 2 pages.

Report: Visualization of a saved 3D scene improved. Check of this visualization in the 3D editor.

Sometimes erronous value in the Array wiring resistance, fixed. Some logs for tracking this errors in V 6.14 crashed the program.

In Version 6.15 (20.12.2013) :

Erroneous values displayed in the "Results" dialog.

Some improvemebnts in the Multi-orientation warnings and the report.

Helios3D now working with Multi-orientation.

PV module definition from Low-light data: crashed.

Summary dialog: copy to clipboard.

Value of the Wiring resistance is sometimes modified to aberrant values. We didn't yet identify the origin of this random (and rare) problem, but we protected the simulation by asking the user for correcting the parameter..

Fixed failure when reading license after the update on some environements.

In Version 6.14 (16.12.2013) :

Problems fixed with shadings - crashed in the "Shadings" dialog.

Problems fixed concerning sheds with not null Baseslope.

Infinite loop in some calculations (Shadings "According to strings").

Shadings "According to strings" not well computed when linear shadings < 0.5%.

In Version 6.03 (19.03.2013) :

Import Satel-light data: updated, the original source format has been changed.

Low-light data specifications for PV modules: improved the dialog

Import of ASCII meteo files: error with new Meteo files definition of V6.

Database update.

In Version 6.02 (28.02.2013) :

Mismatch tool: crash if PV module of the project not yet defined calculation on Inverter inputs, not the full sub-array

Batch Mode tool: new parameters, update creation of hourly files

File creation for simulation: memorization of the specified variables

Project: displaced several settings of the Hidden parameters, specific to the project, to the project's settings

Project: Add. settings: choice for Vmax IEC or UL

Oportunity of using muVoc specified instead of from model.

New Version 6.0 BETA (05.02.2013)

"Meteonorm Inside"

- Direct search of any location on the earth, using the well-known GoogleMap tool.- Immediately get the monthly meteo values for any site, using the interpolating possibilities of Meteonorm 6.1.- Synthetic generation of hourly values uses now the Meteonorm algorithm, improved by respect to the old PVsyst algorithm.- Included import of meteo values from new databases, for example SolarAnywhere (SUNY model) satellite recent data covering the whole USA.- Transposition model on tilted planes: Perez model now proposed as default instead of Hay, leqading to an increase of 0- 2% yearly sum according to climate and orientation.

New Project management and simulation process

- New Project management Dashboard, with direct access to all parameters, simulation and results in a single dialog. - Improved project management: copy, saving, transfers of calculation versions from projects to projects, copy of full projects. - Losses: new organization of the loss diagram. New losses like LID, System unavailability, Inverter auxiliary or night consumption, Light-soaking gains for CIS. - Batch mode for parametric studies: allowing to vary parameters in an EXCEL document, and get chosen simulation results of multiple runs as a table.

Improved shading calculations

- Direct shading factor calculation during the simulation (avoiding the interpolation uncertainties in the shading factor table). - Optimization of the calculation of the shading factor, allowing calculations of big PV plants without limitation to some hundredth of trows or trackers (factor of 10 on the speed). - Plants following the terrain, imported by Helios3D: analysis of the spread of orientations, management of the orientation average.

Detailed electrical shading losses

- Refinement of the "module layout" part, which allows to define the position of each PV module on the areas ("tables") defined in the 3D shading tool. - Modules arrangement in portrait or landscape, sub-modules in length or width within each module. - Attribution of each module to a given string and inverter. - Detailed calculation of the I/V characteristics under partial shadings in each Inverter input, either as pedagogic plot, and during the simulation for the determination of the "electrical losses" due to the shading mismatch.

PV modules

- Tools for specifiying low-light performances, and adjustment of the Rserie parameter accordingly. Low-light efficiencies may be included in the parameters in the database. - Modification of the default values for Gamma, when Rseries is not explicitely defined by the manufacturer, giving significant higher yields of 2-3%. - Import of a measured I/V curve for the establishment of the model's parameters. - Sandia model implementation, and comparison with the one-diode model. - New parameters: IAM profile in the module's parameters, Vmax(UL) for use in US, full tolerance definition, LID for crystalline and Light-soaking for CIS. - Easy choice of modules by manufacturers.

In Version 5.61 (12.11.2012) :

Stand-alone systems: since version 5.54, sometimes the battery used by thesimulation doesn't correspond to the one chosen in the "system" part;then returning in "System" leaves the battery choice blank.

PVGIS import for African data in southern hemisphere:error of the longitude sign => problems with time zone definition.

Some modified inverters in the database: read error for effic. 3 voltages

In Version 5.56 (16.04.2012) :

Read Meteonorm: problems (monthly irrad=0) near polar circle

Inverter 3-voltages efficiency: OK if 2 voltages identical

Inverter and PVModule export to EXCEL: decimal dot or comma acc. to international settings

Monthly tables: errors in units for Yr and Ya

Report: corrections (economics) and improvements (shadings)

In Version 5.55 (21.02.2012) :

Transformer iron Loss: was taken as proportional to the system output. Iron losses are constant losses, even during night.

Opportunity of switching OFF the transformer during the night, for avoiding night iron losses.

Wiring resistance in AC part:Increased reliability for very high diameters, specific current limitIndication of undersized wires regarding max. admissible current New Help for the maximum admissible current acc. to IEC

Loss diagram: secured units (sometimes not well intialized: W or kW)Pumping: unreadable when too high losses for full tank.Pumping: div. by 0

In Version 5.03 (10.11.2009) :

Colors: some background colors make things unreadable in Vista and Windows 7.

In Version 5.02 (26.10.2009) :

System definition freezed when defining multi-MWc systems. No more limit to the system size.

System sizing tool improved.

Corrected further bugs in the report (sometimes over-printing at head of the page).

Improved the ordering tool (sometimes e-mails were not well sent, and we did not receive your order)

In Version 5.01 (12.10.2009) :

Important bug correction: We just discover a important bug: in some cases (synthetic generation without specified Diffuse monthly values), the Diffuse is very low, leading namely to over-estimated transposed values (GlobInc). Please reinstall this new version, and open the projects elaborated under V 5.0. If this occurs, the program will give a warning, re-calculate the meteo file, and you should re-simulate all your calculations for this project. Please discard the old inputs of such erroneous projects.

Help improved: Help improved for system design and inverter sizing.

In Version 5.00 (06.10.2009) :

This is a major modernization of the software. Many internal mechanisms have been improved since more than 2 years of development (in parallel to version 4.xx updates). Therefore there may be bugs which have not been detected during the development. Please be so kind as to report them carefully to the authors.

Multilanguage: the simulation report was already available in several languages, but now the software itself is (partly) available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and soon Portuguese. This is not yet a full translation: only the most used parts - especially regarding grid connected systems - were translated up to now. This is a very time-consuming job (more than 200 dialogs, and hundreds of information/warning pieces to the user), and we will continue it progressively. On the other hand we don't intend to translate the Help at the moment.

Multi-fields: you have now the opportunity of defining several field types for a given project (with different PV modules or inverters, number of modules in series, etc). Their parameters are detailed on the final report, but the simulation results concern the whole installation.

Inverter: their definition includes many parameters which were not operational in the simulations up to now. Multi-MPPT devices: you can define a specific sub-field for each input. Possibility of Master/Slave operation: the Inverter's cascading is taken into account in the simulation process. For some models: power limitation when running under a specified input voltage, is now taken into account. Efficiency profile for 3 different input voltages.

Heterogeneous orientations: systems with 2 different orientations may now involve different sub-fields in each orientation, and/or a subfield for which the strings of a given inverter are distributed on both orientations (with mix of the I/V curve for correct calculation of the MPP).

Database management: the big lists of components stored as individual files, which took very much time to be loaded in the previous version (and sometimes caused bugs) are now replaced by centralized databases (CSV files). This results in an immediate access, and facilitates the updates of the DB of the software. Only the files you are creating or modifying by yourself will still be stored as individual files as before. This concerns: The PV modules (which should approach 5'000 modules in the DB of 2009), The inverters, The geographic site database (of which the list shows now the source of data).

Favorites: you can now define a list of your favorite components in the database, which drastically simplifies the use of big component lists.

Near Shadings: the full dialog and tool have been improved. You can now: Easily read and write a scene or a building directly from the 3D tool. Multiple selection allows to define groups of objects, that you can replicate or save on a file. Define/fix the characteristics of the view you would like to appear in the final simulation report. Register the shading's animation as a little video.

Special tracker devices with PV modules rotating on a tracking frame (with either N-S or E-W axis), are defined as special shading objects (with database of existing devices).

Shading of thin objects, like electrical wires or handrails, is now possible by weighting their effect on the "Module shading" part of the shaded areas.

Shading on strings: you can put a weight on the effect of the shading according to strings, in order to better approach the real shading effect on the electrical production (not only an upper limit) in the simulation.

Synthetic hourly data generation: the diffuse part may be renormalized to specified monthly data when available. This was not possible in the previous versions.

Improvement of the sizing tool for grid systems. You have now the opportunity of specifying either the nominal power, or the available area as starting point. The software indicates the required ranges for the number of modules in series and in parallel. A new powerful window shows all the constraints when sizing a field, i.e. The voltages of the operating array by respect to the inverter's specifications, Histogram of the waited power production of the array, compared to the inverter's nominal power. Estimation of the overload losses (and visualization of their effect on the histogram). This tool allows to determine precisely the ratio between array and inverter Pnom, and evaluates the associated losses.

The default losses management has been improved, especially the "Module quality loss" which is determined from the PV module's tolerance, and the mismatch on Pmpp which is dependent on the module technology.

Losses between inverters and grid injection have been implemented. These may be either ohmic wiring losses, and/or transformer losses when the transformer is external.

In Version 4.37 (June 2009) :

New installer and installing file (old one has problems with new XP).

Few new modules in the database.

Easier registration process (direct access to e-mail editor).

In Version 4.36 (April 2009) :

CdTe modules: the module definitions of the old database are affected by the new recombination losses. Recreated files in the database for all CdTe modules, including recombination term according to our recent measurements at the University of Geneva.

In Version 4.21 (August 2007):

Some youth bugs of version 4.2 are now fixed. The more relevant one: with tracking 2-axis, the collectors returned to their default position (30° south) when the sun's azimuth was under -90° or over 90°. Now they take this position only by night (sun height < 0). This caused an unexpected loss of the order of 7% in sunny regions.

Others: "Transfer projects" option was not working properly. Near shadings: erroneous message in some cases. Soiling parameter definition was hidden. Etc...

In Version 4.2 (July 2007):

Improvement of the navigability in the 3D construction tool, copy/paste of an object from one variant or project to another one. Automatic verification of the Field interpenetration (or tangency) with another object, which may prevent good shading calculations.

Soiling parameter included in the simulation and loss diagram, with opportunity of defining monthly variations.

Direct import of meteo values from NASA-SSE database over the whole earth (by 1°x1° cells), and practical procedure for importing meteo values from WRDC database, especially for countries where METEONORM data are scarce.

Improved the model for amorphous PV modules, especially safety of parameter boundaries, and behaviour presentation to the user.

Improved the Project dialog and choice of a site/meteo. Improved compatibility checks between the project's site and hourly meteo. Extraction/edition of the site geographic properties within an hourly meteo file, which was not possible up to now.

Adaptations for Windows VISTA OS, especially concerning the visual interface. All other functions seem to be perfectly compatible.

Introduction of many "Logs" in the program, in order to facilitate the debugging of user's problems.

In Version 4.1 (January 2007):

The Simulation output reports are now available in French, German, Spanish, Italian (useful for presenting the PV system characteristics to customers).

Windows user's rights compatibility: The \DATA\ structure has been modified for compatibility with the user's rights protections in Windows. A user without writing rights can now copy the whole DATA structure for use in his own writable area. Data may be shared - or not - between different users of the machine.

Files and projects transfers: Archiving or importing projects, as well as database updating tools have been improved.

In Version 4.0

Pumping PV systems

3 types of PV systems are implemented: deep well, pumping from lake or river, and pressurization for water distribution. These may be simulated with a great variety of system configurations, and for any pump type.

The pumping systems are usually constructed according to the pump's manufacturer recipes, which give only an idea of the pumped water for a typical good day in standard conditions. This tool evaluates the pumping performances of a great variety of technological solutions, for a given location and meteo conditions, and related to the real user's needs all over the year.

This implies the development of an original model for describing the pump's behaviour. This model applies to any pump type, and may be established according to usual manufacturer's specifications. A database of about 100 available pump models is available (should be enriched in the near future).

The pump's electrical characteristics in any operating conditions are especially required for the simulation of pumping systems with direct coupling between the PV-array and pump (or their improved versions like booster, pump cascading or PV array reconfiguration). But the simulations show that MPPT power converters - now currently available - noticeably improve the pumping system performances. The results will help to choose the best economical solution. .

In Version 3.41

Automatic facility for importing meteo data from the Satellight Project, real data available free from the web for any pixel of about 5x7 km² in Europe. These data become better than terrestrial measurements, as soon as you are distant of more than 20 km from the measuring station. You can choose among five years of full data (1996-2000).

In Version 3.4

New modelling procedure for the amorphous modules This procedure was established and validated using the results of a research project performed at CUEPE, funded by the SIG-NER fund (the SIG - Services Industriels de Genève - are the Geneva Electric and Gaz Utility). This project included detailed long-term measurements of 6 PV modules in real conditions. It also gave a quantified validation of the standard model for crystalline and CIS modules. Extended component database Over 1'750 PV modules and 650 inverters are now referenced, with dates for identification of market availability or obsolete components. With such big lists, a mechanism for quick access time had to be implemented.

Near shading 3D tool View of the shading scene in realistic colors (settable by the user for each object) - instead of "iron wires" representation - improves the understanding of complex scenes, and gives a much more attractive image of the project for the final customers. Animation over a whole chosen day also clarifies the shading impact of a given situation. Implementation of tracking planes in the 3D shading tool. Especially suited for the optimisation of heliostat arrays layout.

Review and improvement of the Simulation Process Clarification of the losses at any stage of the system, extension to battery systems with DC-DC converters, rewriting of the heterogeneous field treatment , etc.Detailed loss diagram Gives a deep sight on the quality of the PV system design, by quantifying all loss effects on one only graph. Losses on each subsystem may be either grouped or expanded in detailed contributions. Restructuration of the internal representation of the physical variables These two last improvements were made possible thanks to a very deep revision of the internal data structure, in order to obtain more flexibility when using the simulation variables. This reorganization is transparent for the user, but allows now many enhancements of the simulation process, namely easy adding of new variables when necessary, including them dynamically in the simulation process according to specific system configurations, or inversely discarding other ones when they are not relevant.

In this Version 5.53 (03.10.2011) :

Error when changing the meteo file in a project

Errors in some inverter's data (nominal current)

Database update

System verifications: some possible errors not accounted (e.g. Module sizes)